I have always understood the placebo effect as the belief that it makes you feel better, not an actual effect that makes you better. However believing that it makes you better, leads to lower stress, which leads to lower inflammation, which does lead many people to feel better to some degree. Anti-inflammatory tactics are exceedingly common treatment for various conditions. You may call that superficial, and only an imitation of a treatment, but… that is what the placebo effect is also all about.